6 Websites That Help Teach Computers For Children

Many parents consider computers to be nothing more than a toy - a waste of time that children use only to play games and pass the time.

The reality is that more and more of the world is becoming based on computer technologies. Whether you're talking about education, manufacturing or business and finance - every industry is becoming more and more dependent upon computers.

Offices and organizations today are more interconnected and more productive because of the automation and tools that computers provide. This means that the children of today will be living in a world that is virtually overrun by computer systems within every facet of daily living.

They will not only use computers in their work, but also in their homes and when they travel.

This means that the people that have a better understanding of computer systems from an earlier age will have a tremendous advantage in the world of tomorrow. This is why children need to start learning about computers at a younger age.

Unfortunately, there really aren't many resources on the Internet that specifically teach young children about computers.

However, the resources below are some of the best online resources today that you can use to introduce your kids to computer concepts in a way that is interesting and fun.

E-Learning for kids is probably one of the best websites on the Internet for children to learn more about computers. Online courses cover everything from keyboard skills, safety on the Internet, and even using specific applications like Microsoft Word, Excel or PowerPoint.

Learning How to Type

The activities at E-Learning for Kids are well-made and professional. For example, the keyboarding skills activity even includes tasks that teach kids how to use the mouse, and how typical menu systems work in most computer programs.

Learning How to Use Menus

There are a lot of learning modules for kids at E-Learning For Kids, such as health, life skills, math and english, but the computer learning area is easily one of the better sites on the Internet for kids to learn about computers. It even teaches kids how to use those programs that they'll need in school to write papers and do homework, like Microsoft Word or Excel.

Learning Microsoft Word

Each lesson is very thorough, but they are presented in a way that will hold a young child's interest, with animated characters and audio voices and music.

Animated Characters

Kids will learn applications in enough detail so that they will understand how to use them for their own homework, or to give presentations in class with programs like Microsoft PowerPoint.

Most other educational websites for kids focus on school subjects like english, spelling or math. It is rare to find computer-specific training, but sometimes you can find computer-related lessons buried inside some of those traditional lessons. For example at Free-Training-Tutorial.com, you'll find a math section filled with lessons for kids.

Order of Operations

Inside the Math area, you'll discover a number of lessons that actually apply to understanding computers and computer programming. One of those is the "Order of Operations" math tutorial. In this online lesson, kids will learn what order things like division, multiplication, addition and parenthesis take place in math statements.

These principles are very important while creating calculations in computer programs as well. Understanding this concept will give kids a tremendous head start when it comes to understanding computer programming.

One of the most common online computer learning activities for kids is the countless typing games that you'll find throughout the Internet. These are plentiful, but one of the best is clearly FreeTypingGame.net.

Typing Skills

At this website, kids will have a variety of typing lessons and games right at their fingertips. One of these is an actual typing class that takes kids through the same sort of lessons they would learn if they were sitting in a classroom taking an actual typing class. The great thing about this lesson is that it automatically calculates typing speed as the child is working through the lesson, so it's easy to see how quickly they've improved.

If kids are interested in learning more about computer hardware, a great place to start is the "Click-N-Learn" tool at Kids-Online.net.

Computer Hardware

while the website itself is not exactly professional designed - the background and layout leaves much to be desired - the clickable images and pop-up explanations are excellent. This is actually a great way for a child to explore the inner workings of a computer and understand what function each component inside a computer serves.

As usual, the BBC has lots to offer when it comes to education for children. In the way of computers, kids can visit Webwise to learn all about computers, the internet and social media. The site itself is intended as a "beginner's guide to using the internet", but because of that it is also an awesome resource for kids that are just learning about computers and the Internet.

The Clicky Mouse Game

The great thing about this website is that beyond simple instruction, there are plenty of fun web-based activities that kids will love to play with. For example, the "Clicky Mouse Game" at this site helps users get accustomed to using a computer mouse in a way that is fun and entertaining.

As mentioned earlier, keyboarding skills are probably the most important skill young children should learn in order to be proficient with computers. Luckily, keyboarding skills websites are plentiful. One of the best sites for kids to practice keyboard skills is actually LearningGamesforKids.com.

Keyboarding Games

At this site, you'll find a fun variety of keyboarding games where kids can practice their typing and keyboarding skills in a way that feels as though they are playing video games - not learning. This is a great resource for use in the classroom, or at home as well.

Whether you are a teacher looking for helpful online resources to teach your students about computers, or you're a concerned parent that wants to give your child a head start in the computer world of the future, the websites above are an excellent start.

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